This invention relates to an improved fluidized patient support system that is of particular advantage to burn patients, as well as other patients who are immobilized for extended recuperative periods.
Historically, hospital beds for patients have in general been conventional where, though adjustable as to height and attitude, a mattress-springs arrangement has been provided for receiving the patient thereon covered, of course, with appropriate bed clothing. Particular problems have developed in use of the conventional hospital beds where the patients, due to prolonged contact with the support surface in generally immobile condition, have developed decubitus ulcers or bed sores, as a result of pressure points produced between the support surface and certain portions of the patient's body. Additionally, in the case of burn patients where the severity of the injury or wound is such that the patient is affected over a significant portion of his body, conventional beds present problems not only with the healing process due to contact between raw areas of the human body and the support, but also due to fluids exuding from the patient's body. In like fashion, other types of injuries and reasons for confinement have presented problems with the conventional hospital bed.
In order to obviate some of the problems inherent with the conventional hospital bed, fluidized patient support structures have been developed as exemplified in the Hargest et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,428,973, in which a tank is provided, partially filled with a mass of granular material which is received atop a diffuser surface and is covered with a loose fitting flexible patient contact sheet or surface. Fluid, such as air, is forced through the diffuser and fluidizes the granular material, preferably ceramic spheres, with adequate force that a patient received on the flexible sheet is suspended on the fluidized bed. In this fashion, very gentle forces are imparted to the body portions of the patient, whereby the incidence of development of decubitus ulcers is reduced and whereby an individual experiencing trauma, such as produced by servere burns may rest comfortably. In similar fashion, a further fluidized patient support structure is disclosed in the Hargest U.S. Pat. No. 3,866,606 which structure has the same basic elements of that mentioned above with the addition of control means to cyclicly fluidize the granular material, also preferably ceramic spheres, for flotation of the patient, whereby in a non-fluidized state, the patient settles into the mass of granular material which becomes a rigid body contoured structure against which the patient's body may be placed in traction. In like fashion, the cyclic effect of fluidizing-rigidifying the mass of granular material permits variation in patient attitude, again towards the reduction of the incidence of development of decubitus ulcers.
While the two fluidized support structures described above are successful for their intended purpose, the present invention represents improvement thereover. Particularly the present invention represents improved structural and operational features leading to improved mobility, less weight, more compactness to the unit and the like.